Four Vietnamese killed in Lao plane crash

Three members of a Vietnamese family and a Canadian resident of Vietnamese origin lost their lives in the October 16 Lao Airlines plane crash believed to have killed 49 people from 11 countries.

Bui Van Tuy, a spokesperson from the Vietnamese Consulate General in Champasak Province, said 44 passengers and five crew were on board the flight from Vientiane to Pakse Airport in Laos’ southern region.

Tuy revealed the Vietnamese victims included 74-year-old Le Hue, his 69-year-old wife Vuong Thi Ngan, his 45-year-old daughter Le Thi Trinh (also known as Phommasone Chida), and Canadian resident Dao Thi Lieu.

The Consulate General in Champasak Province has sent condolences to the families of the deceased, he said.

Cao Dinh Hanh, Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Champasak Province, said rescue teams are trying to recover the remains of victims still trapped in the wreckage.

The crash was preliminarily attributed to turbulent weather caused by tropical storm Nari.

French manufacturer ATR said the crashed plane was its latest ATR-72 twin-engine turboprop model, designed to seat between 68 and 74 people. It had left the production line in March 2013.

Over 24,400 HIV carriers recorded in HN

Ha Noi has recorded 24,454 people living with HIV as of August 2013, standing after Ho Chi Minh City in terms of the number of HIV carriers, according to the municipal HIV/AIDS prevention and control center.

In the past nine months of 2013, the center worked with other agencies to organize activities against drug addiction and prostitution as well as support HIV-infected people.

The Department of Social Evils Prevention and Control has met and provided counselling for more than 55,700 drug addicts and 2,700 ones living with HIV, and distributed more than 4,000 leaflets.

In the rest three months, the center will closely cooperate with other ministries and agencies to organize HIV/AIDS prevention programs and training courses and launch activities in response to the World AIDS Day on December 1.

Two million Vietnamese suffer blindness, visual impairment

Vietnam is among poor countries with a large number of blind people who find it hard to access eye care services.

At an October 16 conference in Hanoi, to announce Vietnam’s national plan on blindness prevention in the 2014-2019 period, Pro. Nguyen Chi Dung from the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology (VNIO) revealed that around two million people in Vietnam are blind or face eye problems, and about one third of poor patients cannot afford eye care services.

Dung said that the prevalence of blindness in 16 surveyed provinces and cities in 2007 was 3.1%, equivalent to the world’s average. Leading causes of blindness are cataracts (66.1%), followed by retinopathy, glaucoma, refractive error, and trachoma.

Nearly three million Vietnamese children are having sight problems, with two thirds of them contracting short-sightedness.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien said approximately 75% of blindness causes is preventable, citing surgery for cataract patients as an option.

Participants at the conference proposed measures to reduce the blindness prevalence rates and improve eye care services.

Chinese freighter with Vietnamese sailor on board sinks

A Chinese-owned cargo ship with 19 crew members, including one Vietnamese, sank in rough seas off the Republic of Korea’s southeastern port of Pohang on October 15.

The RoK coastguard reports that as of 10a.m on October 16, nine bodies had been recovered while eight people were rescued and two remained missing. The dead and missing have not been identified.

As strong wind and rough seas pushed away the 8,461-tonne ship and sank it, crew members reported the freighter’s situation to local police but the force failed to approach it due to the harsh weather.

The incident happened after the CHENGLU 15 had finished unloading goods it transported from Pyeongtaek port to Pohang port and was at its anchorage outside the later’s breakwater.

Emergency aid to storm Nari victims

The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) on October 16 decided to give emergency aid worth VND2 billion in cash and kinds to three central provinces and cities hardest hit by cyclonic storm Nari, the 11th to strike Vietnam this year.

Accordingly, Quang Nam province will receive VND600 million, 400 relief goods packages and 400 sets of house fixing tools, Danang city, VND400 million, 200 relief goods packages and 130 sets of house fixing tools and Quang Ngai province, 200 relief goods packages.

The VRC has asked its chapters in the typhoon-hit localities to evaluate the consequences and timely support the victims in resuming their production and repairing their houses.

A delegation of voluntary doctors went to the localities to provide the locals with free medical check-ups.

According to the National Committee for Search and Rescue, storm Nari killed at least four people and left five others missing in the central region.

The storm, which hit land on October 15, also injured 69 people in Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri and Nghe An provinces and Danang city.

It also sunk and destroyed many ships and houses.

Water levels in the rivers from Nghe An to Quang Binh provinces rose above the second-warning level in the afternoon of October 16.

The National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control and the Committee for Search and Rescue asked these provinces to evacuate people to higher places.

ADB funds Vietnam’s infrastructure projects

The State Bank of Vietnam and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on October 16 signed loan and non-refundable contracts valuing at US$624 million for two infrastructure projects in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands regions.

Under the contracts, the Mekong delta centre connectivity project – a key government project to complete the road system in the southern region - will receive US$544 million, of which US$410 million is from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and US$134 million is funded by Australian’s non-refundable aid through ADB.

Meanwhile, the US$87.58 million project of rural infrastructure development for Central Highlands provinces will get US$80 million in preferential credit from the Asian Development Fund (ADF). It will be carried out in five years from 2014 to 2018 to assist efforts to reduce poverty through developing technical and social infrastructure and improving socio-economic conditions in the five provinces of Lam Dong, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum.

Addressing the signing ceremony, SBV Governor Nguyen Van Binh said the funding is of significant importance to Vietnam in the context of limited domestic investment for infrastructure projects.

The success of these projects will help the Vietnamese Government meet its targets specified in the national socio-economic development plan, while serving as the basis for ADB to decide its assistance level to Vietnam in the future, he said.

Poverty reduction planning needs a wider view

A multi-dimensional approach to poverty was the key to sustaining poverty reduction, experts said at a forum in Hanoi on October 16.

This approach will help better classify poor people based on different factors, such as income, expenses and basic social needs, said Ngo Truong Thi, Head of the Co-ordination Office for the Poverty Reduction Programme.

“Using only income to measure poverty can leave a lot of people who need help unable to access poverty reduction programmes,” he said.

Many people have an average monthly income higher than the standard poverty line, but cannot afford basic needs like their children’s school fees, he added.

If a multi-dimensional approach is used to measure poverty in Vietnam, the poverty level will be much higher, Thi said.

In the past 20 years, Vietnam has cut its poverty rate from 58.1% in 1993 to less than 10% at present. However, participants agreed that the country still faced many challenges in sustaining the results.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen cited challenges such as the unsustainable pace of poverty reduction.

Poverty rates remained 50% or even 60-70% in some poor areas where large numbers of ethnic groups live, making up 47% of the total poor in the country, she said.

The rich-poor gap also went from 9.2 times in 2010 to approximately 9.5 in 2012, she added.

Poverty, including extreme poverty, remained prevalent among ethnic minority groups and in ethnic minority-inhabited areas, according to participants.

The income poverty rate is very high among some of these groups, but so is the performance across other dimensions such as education, health, water, sanitation, and housing. In all of these, ethnic minority groups consistently lag far behind the national average.

Minister Chuyen highlighted the need to transfer from a single-dimensional approach to poverty and to encourage and strengthen the proactive role of the poor in lifting themselves out of poverty.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said tackling the challenges in poverty reduction in the coming years will require tailored and multi-sectoral approaches, where poverty is viewed as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, not just in monetary terms.

“Giving voice to the poor, empowering them to develop solutions to their issues and conducting participatory planning and monitoring should be the cornerstone of sustainable poverty reduction policies and programmes,” she added.

Vietnam is among the 20 countries in the world to pioneer the research and application of multi-dimensional poverty measures to better understand the root causes of poverty and to design better targeted policies and programmes.

Ho Chi Minh City has been assigned to pilot the multi-dimensional poverty approach in four districts to draw out lessons learned for the development of a master plan on multi-dimensional poverty which will be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval in October next year.

In Vietnam, poor households have an average monthly income below VND400,000 (US$19) in rural areas and VND500,000 (US$24) in urban areas.

Lawyers’ Day observed in Hanoi

The Vietnam Lawyers Federation (VLF) held a ceremony in Hanoi on October 16 to mark the Vietnamese Lawyers’ Day (October 10) in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

At the event, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong announced the Prime Minister’s Decision to take October 10 as Day of Vietnamese Lawyers.

Addressing the function, PM Dung stressed that the country is accelerating its judicial reform and building the socialist rule-of-law based state, which offers both favourable conditions and challenges for the lawyers.

These required them to uphold their legal professional ethics and conducts to contribute more to the common cause and affirm their role and position in the country socio-economic development, PM Dung said.

He also expressed his belief that with respect for objective truths, accountability before law and their fine traditions, Vietnamese lawyers will further develop and make more contribution to the country’s renewal process and building a law-governed state and the socialist oriented market economy.

According to VLF Chairman Le Thuc Anh, late President Ho Chi Minh signed a document on lawyer organisation 68 years ago, which was not only important to the Vietnamese lawyers but also laid a foundation for the socialist justice by the people and for the people.

To date, the country is home to more than 8,000 lawyers of 63 lawyers associations who have effectively taken part in protecting legitimate rights and interests of the citizens, State and socio-economic organisations, contributing to building democratic governance to serve the people, Anh said.

Vietnam checks laws on world crime

Vietnam has been reviewing the compatibility of national legislative provisions with the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) in order to better implement the convention.

In 2012, Vietnam ratified the UNTOC, the only global international convention relating to organised crime. It seeks to address all aspects of transnational organised crime and constitutes an effective tool as well as necessary legal framework for international co-operation in preventing and combating all forms of transnational organised crime.

Adopted in 2000, the convention has so far been ratified by 178 states.

At a workshop on October 16 held by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Ministry of Justice, Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, director of the ministry's Criminal and Administrative Laws Department, said that with the support of UNODC, the ministry and Supreme People's Court has conducted an assessment of the legal framework, including the 1999 Penal Code and 2003 Criminal Procedure Code.

"The assessment aims to identify gaps and provide recommendations for improving the country's legal framework to meet the obligations and requirements of the convention," she said.

Last April, Vietnam's Government also approved an action plan to implement the convention as well as a protocol to prevent human trafficking.

Zhuldyz Akisheva, country director of UNODC Vietnam, applauded Vietnam's activities in this field, saying now is the right time for the country to boost co-operation in advocacy, legislation development and capacity building as organised crime in the region is increasing and becoming more complicated.

Vice Director of Criminal and Administrative Laws Department Le Van Anh said that there are many gaps between Vietnam's Penal Code and the convention and urged revisions and amendments to the law. At present, contributions to the draft of the revised law are welcomed; it will likely be on the National Assembly's agenda for 2015.

The Penal Code does not currently meet all requirements of the convention concerning criminal-isation. Some criminal acts are not punished promptly, such as participation in organised crime, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

In particular, the Penal Code does not have separate regulations concerning conspiracy or participation in organised crime. Under the code, those who belong to an organised crime syndicate but do not commit crime or counsel others are not committing crime (except cases regulated in Article 79).

When individual committed crime on behalf of a legal entity, they were not prosecuted and punished properly, Anh said, a problem the revised penal code should address.

HCMC hosts int’l wastewater treatment exhibition

The industrial wastewater treatment and purification-Vietnam Water 2013 Expo and Forum - opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City on October 16.

The event has attracted more than 270 enterprises from 30 countries and territories including Germany, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Hungary, Singapore and Taiwan.

Vietnam Water 2013 introduces a wide range of the latest technologies, services, systems, purification processes and equipment for the wastewater treatment industry.

It provides a good opportunity for local enterprises to learn from the experience of other countries, and gives them new initiatives for the industry’s sustainable development. It also helps companies to seek business partners and apply advanced equipment from around the world.

Within the framework of the exhibition, a Southeast Asian Water forum and seminar on reducing water loss in urban areas will also be held.

At the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Construction, Chairman of the Vietnam Water and Sewerage Association (VWSA), Cao Lai Quang said that despite significant improvements, water supply and drainage systems in Vietnam still have shortcomings and are unable to keep up with urban growth.

Only 80% of urban areas' freshwater needs are being met while water loss remains as high as at 26-27%, he noted.

Untreated wastewater is directly discharged into the environment, causing serious pollution and climate change, he said, adding that it is a big challenge for the water supply and drainage sector.

The exhibition will run until October 18.

Vietnam to capitalize on ‘golden population structure’

Vietnam is entering a period known as ‘golden population structure’ providing the country with a unique socio-economic development opportunity, told an international workshop in Hanoi on October 16.

Domestic and foreign experts drew up an overall picture of Vietnam’s population-related issues, with a focus on analysing the down trend of birth rate and productive healthcare services.

An Education and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report shows over the last three decades the number of people under 15 has fallen substantially, while the number of people of working age (15 to 64 years old) has increased considerably.

In other words, Vietnam is currently having a ‘golden population structure’, meaning for every two people or more working, there is only one dependent person.

The experts stressed the need for a job generation and vocational training for young workers to take advantage of the abundant labour force which will gradually become elderly in the near future

The UNFPA report also points out the Vietnamese population is ageing rapidly due to sharp reductions in the number of children born (fertility) and the number of people dying (mortality), as well as increased life expectancy.

The birth rate has fallen constantly over the past decades, reaching the total fertility rate of 2.03 children per woman in 2009. The fertility rate dropped sharply in rural areas from 2.57 children per woman in 1999 to 2.14 children per woman in 2009.

The average life expectancy of Vietnamese people was 72.8, or 4.3 years more than in 2009. Women’s life expectancy was higher than men’s and 5.5 years more than a decade ago.

Some other countries such as Japan, Singapore and Taiwan experienced a similar situation two or three decades ago, posing a great challenge to the social welfare system.

The experts suggested Vietnam take into account the demographic trend in its population and reproductive health strategy, and examine the comparatively low fertility rate in several regions to introduce proper policies.

The event was jointly held by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and the UNFPA.

Friesland Campina receives merit award

Dairy company Friesland Campina Viet Nam has received the Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit for helping disadvantaged children through its Den Dom Dom (Firefly) programme.

The programme, initiated in 2002, seeks to help stop disadvantaged children from dropping out of school and to build new schools in remote areas and offer scholarships to local children.

Under the Den Dom Dom programme, the Dutch company has built 10 schools at a cost of more than VND30 billion (US$1.4 million) in remote areas in Quang Binh, Gia Lai, Ca Mau, Binh Phuoc, Kon Tum, and Lai Chau and provided 20,000 scholarships to poor children.

Alcohol smuggler fined in Tay Ninh province

Southern Tay Ninh Province yesterday fined a man VND100 million (US$4,700) for smuggling liquor, according to the province People's Committee Vice Chairman Huynh Van Quang.

Vo Van Tam, 32, from Go Dau District was found illegally transporting 51 bottles of Chivas 18 in his car while travelling on National Highway 22 from the province to HCM City on August 17. He could not provide any legal documents for the goods.

Additionally, Tam received a fine of VND3.5 million ($166) for driving without licence, and for exceeding the alcohol limits while driving.

New HCM City fly-overs make congestion worse

Two fly-overs that were built recently in HCM City to ease traffic flow in particularly congested areas have worsened the problem, local residents lament.

The traffic situation may have improved at the Lang Cha Ca Roundabout and Cong Hoa-HoangHoa Tham Intersection above which the fly-overs go, but after vehicles pass swiftly through the fly-overs, they end up gridlocked at their bottom.

People living near the two areas complain that the traffic situation in the surrounding areas is worse than before the fly-overs were built.

The fly-overs have merely shifted the congestion from one place to another, especially in the Cong Hoa area, many said.

Pham Duc Nhuan, who lives near Cong Hoa Street, recalled that the two-kilometre stretch from Lang Cha Ca Roundabout to Hoang Hoa Tham would take an hour to traverse before the two steel fly-overs were built.

Now it takes him only five minutes. But then the narrow road sections at the end of the two fly-overs are routinely gridlocked at at least three points, he said.

Nguyen Van Toan of the city Department of Transport said his agency realised the problem after the fly-overs were opened.

It is considering solutions, he said.

Traffic regulation in the area is also inefficient, he admitted, adding some sign boards would be adjusted there.

Ha Noi rentals fall by up to one third

Three years ago, Le Dinh Toan spent all of his family savings to build a house for foreign renters. He even got a bank loan, figuring the inflow of rent money would soon allow him to pay it back.

Sure enough, the five-storey house by West Lake soon filled with foreign renters.

But today, only two people live there, even though he lowered the rent by one-third in a desperate bid to attract tenants.

"I am very worried because I signed a contract to rent my current apartment for four years and have already paid the rent," Toan told Dat Viet newspaper. "I might have to sell the house to repay the bank loan."

Due to the economic downturn and real estate market freeze, many houses like Toan's are now lying vacant.

A huge number of houses intended for foreign renters have been built, despite declining demand, according to Nguyen Van Binh, who works at a real estate office in To Ngoc Van Street, Tay Ho District.

Vice chairman of the Quang An Ward People's Committee Dang Van Hoi said that despite the economic downturn, the amount of families renting to foreigners increased in the past three years, with 800 in total.

They provided VND13.2 billion (US$634,000) in taxes to the ward budget last year but are expected to provide only VND12.8 billion ($615,000) this year, according to Hoi.

Binh said that most landlords had lowered rents by 10-20 per cent since last year.

He estimated that one-bedroom apartments rented for US$500-700 per month and two-bedrooms for $800-1,500.

Do The Thiep, director of Duy Hoang Minh Company, owner of an apartment block in Quang An Ward, recommended landlords invest more in equipment and services.

"Those offering professional services will have a competitive advantage," he said. Landlords are also offering free room cleaning, security guards and car and motorbike services to retain clients, Binh added.

According to Le Ngoc Son, director of a real estate firm in Ba Dinh District, the economic recession made many expats tighten their belts. As a result, he predicted, the rental housing market would be down until at least the end of this year.

Warming may harm millions

Around 150,000 Vietnamese lives may be at risk and another five million may contract harmful diseases due to global warming, according to research from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The information was released in a workshop called "Mainstreaming an ecosystem based approach (EAB) to climate change into biodiversity conservation planning in Viet Nam" held on Tuesday. It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

According to the WHO's research, the number of affected people may double by 2030, posing serious threats to the country's economic development and human life.

For his part, ADB director Tomoyki Kimura said climate change posed serious threats to Viet Nam, adding that around 8.5 million people would be displaced and 30 per cent of traffic infrastructure would be destroyed if water levels rose one meter higher than current levels.

"At the same time, at least 25 per cent of agricultural land would become salt-marsh", he added.

According to Raji Dhital from the WWF, climate change also posed a devastating threat to biodiversity. In the Greater Mekong Sub-region alone, between 133 and 2,835 species of flora and 10 to 213 species of spinal fauna were said to be in danger of extinction.

Dhital also emphasised the need to recover mangrove forests and develop sustainable forestry to adapt to the effects of climate change.

An ecosystem-based approach is a strategy for integrating the management of land, water and living resources. EBA promotes the equitable conservation and sustainable use of resources and helps people and biodiversity adapt to the adverse impacts of environmental change, including climate change.

The mainstreaming of EBA into policy provides a cost-effective way to improve the management of natural resources. Apart from generating social, economic and cultural benefits, the strategy may also help to boost ecosystem resilience.

According to experts, Viet Nam has achieved positive results from the use of EBAs in small and medium projects but has little experience mainstreaming EBAs into development planning.

World gem experts gather for conference

More than 60 scientists from 23 countries around the world are here for a five-day conference on gemstones.

The thirty third International Gemological Conference is being held for the first time in Viet Nam, which is mostly known for its red star rubies and sapphires.

"We believe that you, as leading world experts in your fields, have brought your latest findings to the conference," Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan told the participants yesterday at her office.

The organizers said they wanted to bring the latest news from scientific labs to the government and the business sector.

"We are all cohabitants on this earth, so we have to protect the living environment for years to come," said Do Minh Phu, president of DOJI Corporation, one of the country's leading gemstone traders, which co-organises the conference with the National University of Ha Noi.

"We all know well that the mining process exudes a large amount of waste and mined gemstones are non-renewable resources. It is our job to manage the exploitation of natural resources, and at the same time, protect the environment," Phu said.

But the corporation declined to provide the latest statistics on its gemstone trading and/or mining market share. Participants will visit a ruby mine in Luc Yen District in Yen Bai Province.

According to a report on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's website, the mining industry had been credited by some organisations as the key to providing jobs, and as a result reducing poverty, eliminating hunger and bringing about sustainable development.

But social researchers have found otherwise, according to the ministry. Mining does not provide as many jobs as it should, and dust, gas, sewage and the chemicals used in the refining process have been found to pollute the environment.

"We will use your research to map out an orientation as well as for the management and exploitation of our mines," Doan told the researchers. "We hope that you as scientists shall spread the message and Vietnamese precious stones will get to more people around the world."

Participants at the conference have voiced their approval at the way the event has connected the academia, the government and the business sector, because otherwise scientific papers would only be circulated among experts and not be applied in daily activities.

Storm Nari leaves trail of damage

Nari, the eleventh cyclonic storm of the year, left a trail of destruction amounting to an estimated VND1.5 trillion (US$71 million) in central coastal provinces. It killed five people, and injured 49.

Central Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province were heavily damaged by the storm, which hit the region two weeks after it was devastated by Storm Wutip.

The Central Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue said the storm wrecked more than 500 homes and damaged nearly 12,000 others in Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.

More than 350ha of paddy fields and 3,284ha of crops were inundated, while 77 fishing vessels were sunk or damaged.

The storm also blew down 95 power poles, disconnecting many areas. It also washed away 104,000 cubic metres of soil from irrigation areas and many concrete roads.

Da Nang and Quang Nam were heavily damaged by the storm. Initial losses were reported to be about VND1.1 trillion ($52 million).

The central city reported that 40,000 street trees and 1,500ha of forest trees were rooted up. Many industrial plants in Quang Nam were severely damaged.

Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday praised the well-prepared plans of provinces in limiting losses. "Provincial administrations took positive steps to deal with the storm. Damage was limited due to the preparations made in Quang Nam, Da Nang and the provinces of Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Ngai," Phuc said.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) has reconnected supply to 74 per cent of the region.

Rainfall of between 200-400mm was recorded from Quang Binh to Quang Ngai and the Central Highlands region. This is expected to increase water levels in rivers from Nghe An to Quang Binh.

Water levels in the Gianh River in Quang Binh Province has already risen to 8.5m, which may cause floods in lower areas.

The Central Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue reports that 13 out of 57 reservoirs from Quang Binh to Quang Nam and from Kon Tum to Dak Nong have overflown.

Twenty-eight reservoirs from Quang Binh to Binh Dinh are at risk of overflowing, while 13 run by hydro-power plants have been discharging the overflow.

The Ministry of Health has warned central provinces to prepare for outbreaks of trachoma, dengue fever and dermatitis that often occur after fkooding.

A Vietnamese delegation from the Ministry of Health (MoH) led by its Minister Nguyen Kim Tien paid a working visit to Belgium from October 13-16 at the invitation of Rudy Demotte, Premier of the Wallonia-Brusells.

The two sides compared notes on the results of cooperation projects in the field of health insurance for people including elderly and people with disabilities to help them access high-quality healthcare services.

They agreed to strengthen cooperation in managing the use of medicines in hospital and family.

During the visit, MoH Minister Tien met with representatives from the European Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The EU pledged to provide more than EUR114 million in nonrefundable aid for Vietnam by 2014.

Minister Tien said Vietnam will use this aid to build satellite hospitals in provinces and upgrade health facilities in remote, border and island areas and strengthen human resources training in order to achieve Millennium Development Goals, including reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition prevention.

Quang Ninh hosts workshop on tourism promotion via movies

A workshop on tourism promotion via movies was held in the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 15.

Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan , Director of the Cinematography Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said there were huge untapped potentials for promoting tourism through movies.

She noted that it was necessary to foster cooperation among the state management agencies of cinematography and tourism, film producers and tourism promotion units.

Sharing the point of view, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Hoang Thi Diep also said that the movie channel should be used as an effective tool to lure tourists.

The event, which was part of activities of the 18th Vietnam Film Festival in the province from October 14-16, heard 20 reports from film makers, artists, cinematography and tourism managers, travel agencies and journalists.-

Domestic scientists were joined by their colleagues from many countries at the third International Scientific Conference on Sustainable Energy Development (SED 3) which opened in Hanoi on October 16.

Issues high on the conference’s agenda were energy security, new and renewable energy, the economical and effective use of energy and advanced energy technology.

Local researchers submitted their studies on solutions for sustainable energy development, the impacts of energy use on the country’s environment, and the policy on energy pricing in relation with sustainable energy development.

The event is expected to enhance the exchange and cooperation among scientists, research organisations and businesses operating in the field.

Deputy PM hails central localities for storm response

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc commended central provinces for their well-prepared plans thus helping limit losses caused by tropical storm Nari while chairing a meeting in the central city of Da Nang on October 16.

“Losses in human lives have been limited thanks to proactive steps taken by localities and close supervision of Party’s Committees and authorities at different levels to deal with the storm,” the Deputy PM said.

He pledged to ensure food, medicine and accommodation for people in the flood-hit areas while doing the best for children to return to schools.

The leader urged the involvement of whole political system to assist flood victims to help them stabilise their lives, and called for the construction of sustainable facilities.

Earlier on the day, Deputy PM Phuc inspected river dykes in Dai Loc district, Quang Nam province. He also visited Hoang Van Thu elementary school and presented gifts to several families in Da Nang City.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Electricity of Vietnam has reconnected supply to 74 percent of the region.

Nari, the eleventh cyclonic storm of the year, killed five people and injured 49 others in central provinces while causing property losses amounting to an estimated 1.5 trillion VND (71 million USD).

Central Da Nang City and Quang Nam province were heavily damaged by the storm, which hit just two weeks after storm Wutip.

The Ministry of Health has warned central provinces to prepare for outbreaks of trachoma, dengue fever and dermatitis that often occur after flooding.-

More support to AO victims in Thai Binh

A charity event held in the northern province of Thai Binh on October 16 raised over 50 million VND (2,350 USD) for local Agent Orange victims.

The exchange, co-organised by the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin (VAVA), Thai Binh provincial Radio and Television Station and the Thai Binh Businesswomen’s Association, was part of a fund-raising campaign launched in September.

The campaign has so far received more than 900 million VND from donors.

Over the past years, a total of 36 billion VND (1.7 million USD) have been mobilised for AO victims in Thai Binh province. The money has been used to build houses, provide wheelchairs, medical check-ups and medicine, and open vocational training courses for the victims.

Since early 2011, with the support of the Association for Better Living and Education ( ABLE ), the VAVA has conducted dioxin detoxification courses in Thai Binh based on Hubbard method, which was successfully applied for victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine . Hundreds of victims have received detoxification treatment under this programme.

Thai Binh has over 340,000 AO victims, of which more than 3,000 are second-generation victims. However, only 210,000 have benefited from regular allowances.-

Co To Island connected to national power grid

Co To Island in the northern province of Quang Ninh have been official connected to the national power grid following highest efforts of local authorities and the country’s electricity sector.

At the ceremony to mark the connection on October 16, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong said the event is important to not only Quang Ninh province, but also to the whole nation, marking a step forward in improving the living conditions of disadvantaged islanders.

She hoped the stable power supply will help the island’s socio-economic development, thus contributing to defending the national sea and islands.

According to Nguyen Phuc Vinh, President and CEO of the Northern Electricity Corporation, the project is the first of its kind in Vietnam with about 30 kilometres of cables running on the seabed at a depth of up to 30 metres.

The 1.1-trillion-VND project, begun in last December, was unprecedented in its quality and speedy implementation, he said.-

Non-traditional security threats studied

The relationship between traditional security and non-traditional security threats should be further clarified to better outline solutions to danger, a senior public security official has said.

Chairing a symposium titled “Non-traditional security threats: identifying, experience and solutions” in Hanoi on October 15, Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Nam said fighting non-traditional security threats forms an important part of national defence and security in an ever-changing world, helping to safeguard national safety, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The symposium brought together senior officials, managers, scientists, and experts working in the various realms of national security.

They debated the basic characteristics of non-traditional threats to stability, development and sustainability in Vietnam and other countries and studied experience in responding to these threats from the world’s major powers.

They also debated the responsibility of public security forces to respond to these threats.

Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri